72 Prof. Milne — Across Eurojje and Asia. 



On Tuesday, the 22nd February, we reached Chingkian on the 

 Yangtse, where we were fortunate in meeting a steamer, which 

 next morning landed us in Shanghai, after a quick trip of 19 days 

 since leading Tiensin ; six months and three weeks since leaving 

 England. This latter section of my journey through half the 

 length of China, although not so trying as the trip I had just 

 experienced in Mongolia, was both tedious and disagreeable. 

 Everywhere one was followed by crowds of people, who called one 

 a " foreign devil." Sometimes we were refused admittance at the 

 inns, and had, in consequence, difficulties in finding lodgings. We 

 had to travel from before sunrise, often 4 a.m. until after sunset, in 

 a springless vehicle, drawn genei'ally at a trot over rough roads. 

 These facts alone, without the enumeration of others, will at once 

 be recognized as being sufficient to render observation almost an 

 impossibility. 



The first part of this journey from Kalgan to Pekin has been 

 described by Mr. Pumpelly, who made many excursions in the 

 neighbourhood of these towns, and my scattered notes are only con- 

 firmatory of what he has already written. 



On the remainder of my journey between Pekin, Tiensin, and 

 Shanghai, my observations, although fragmentary, may be useful as 

 giving a general idea of the structure of this portion of China, and 

 adding something to its geological cartography. 



The provinces traversed Avere Chihli, Shantung, and Kiangsu. 

 Shantung, which runs from N.E. to S.W., appears to have a central 

 axis of granite. Flanking this, upon the S.E., there are limestones, 

 shales, and sandstones, and upon the N.W. limestones. A portion 

 of these latter may be Devonian, but the remainder, together with 

 those upon the S.E., are probably Carboniferous. These formations 

 make Shantung a mountainous province, and give a character to its 

 natural products and to the industries of its people. 



Lying round this, from the shores of the Pechihli Gulf on the 

 north, extending as a semicircle down to the Yellow Sea, are plains 

 of alluvium representing a delta formation of the Hwang Ho. 



Conclusion. — After arriving at Shanghai, I took a ship to Japan, 

 where I arrived on the 8th of March, 1877, after seven months and 

 seven days travel, which brought me fairly to the limit of the subject 

 embraced under the title of this paper, " Across Europe and Asia." 



The land journey between St. Petersburg and Shanghai was more 

 than 6000 miles, 4000 miles being through Russia and Siberia, 800 

 miles through Mongolia, and about 1000 miles through China. Con- 

 sidering the distance travelled, and the time occupied upon the 

 journey, it is unsatisfactory to look at the little information bearing 

 on geology which I was enabled to collect. The chief cause of this 

 was from the fact that it was imperative that I should always be 

 moving, not only during the day, but also very often during the 

 night. Not knowing the language of the country in which I 

 travelled, precluded me from inquiry. Again, many districts, like 

 the Siberian Steppes, presented a monotonous sameness throughout 

 their area, whilst the least known, and, I believe, the most interesting, 



